Day Two--The Road to Starbucks

     I quit drinking coffee about two weeks ago. Well. technically Cafe Americano-- Venti. It wasn't too difficult actually, I only drank one cup in the morning and that was the extent of my caffeine intake, sans a coke here and there. I remember vividly where I was and what made me do it. Shanghai, China at the Xin Tian Di Starbucks.  At First Glance Xin Tian Di looks like Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona. A bustling little village with nice restaurants, hip bars, fashionable retail stores, and of course a nice Starbucks. About an hour after downing my Venti Americano the little headache and the gurgling feeling in my chest came back. My anxiety is always exacerbated with caffeine. "That's It." I thought and decided to make the move from Caffeine to No Caffeine. Just like that. 

     

     I do have a morning Starbuck ritual though that is going to be even harder to break. Like clockwork almost everyday after dropping my daughter Grace off at School; off to Starbucks for my morning Americano, Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake, and the New York Times. I also enjoy the camaraderie at starbucks; the regulars that I can talk politics with, and the baristas that know me, and my drink, by name. 

     So I set off yesterday morning at exactly 6:00 am for a 3.6 mile run from my house to Starbucks and back. I know the exact distance thanks to my Garmin GPS unit. The first part of the run is the most brutal, uphill, toward the mountains, at an incline that started to make my legs burn the instant they felt the deviation in the road. About 100 meters into the climb my legs started to feel as if they were not a part of my body, but instead two sacks of potatoes that my torso is dragging along. I had to stop a few times and rest my legs, but I made it to the top of the hill-- and no time to do the Rocky Balboa dance, I had another mile and some change to go.

     All along the route, I reminded myself not to push too hard, but that was easy enough, my body was actually dictating my speed, not my mind. I eventually made it to Starbucks, downed a glass of water, and made my way back to my place. The jog back was uneventful enough, since it is mostly downhill. The downhill pounding  though on my quadriceps was enough to actually make me speed up a little on the downhill canter. 

When I arrived home, I did some sit-ups, push-ups and a few pull-ups and I called it a day. My legs felt OK, but it wasn't until around 4:00 pm that the full leg burn came, and stayed through the night. Any weight I put on my legs, burned like hell. I know that feeling though. it will go away soon, but I start my chest and triceps routine today and I realize that my upper body will be feeling the hurt quite shortly. Like a  minor burn; It'll blister for a few days, but I'll be OK.